>> gregg: fox news alert on the hostage crisis in algeria this hour where the fate of captive americans are not clear. two unarmed predator drones have been on the scene in the middle of the sahara flying over the gas facility taken over by al-qaeda fighters three days ago. on the ground, a bloody conclusion could be playing out right now. algerian forces have stormed the complex calling it a final assault. sources telling fox news the situation might not be over yet. hello, i'm gregg jarrett. glad you are with us. welcome to america's news headquarters. >> heather: i'm heather

childers. we are hearing from some of the lucky ones at this point one hostage who escaped how the attack all started. >> wednesday morning i was outside the facility and terrorists came. they stopped the gate and inside the office buildings and started to take hostages. i barricade made recess with another colleague of mine in one of the offices. we locked the door. we put a desk on the door. >> heather: gregg pat pal could the is following this live from london. >> reporter: we are n getting some signs that the standoff is just about over. algerian officials saying we are getting signing of how bloody this long siege was and more

questions about the fate of the americans. the algerian special forces were the ones that went in and did this final assault against the armed al-qaeda militants holding hostages at this natural gas complex in algeria. according to algerian government officials, they are saying that both militants and foreign hostages were killed in today's final attack. the government just in the past two hours or so are coming up with what they call is provisional final death figures. 32 militants they say were killed in the four-day siege and 23 hostages including foreigners. as for the americans we were were just talking to the state department. they are still not putting out numbers. we know that one person died. he from texas. we have been reporting five americans had escaped and we believed the two remaining americans, this is as of last night, were still being held.

today the reuters news agency says two americans were freed today but we have no confirmation and no one sells saying that. leon panetta is in london today and has stern words about those he feels was behind this attack. >> at 9/11 we made very clear that nobody is going to attack the united states of america and get away with it. for that reason we have made a commitment that we're going to go after al-qaeda wherever they are. >> reporter: he was asked what he thought of the algerian security forces tactics. some have criticized them for being heavy-handed and secret i have as well. he replied different countries and different approaches to dealing with things including terrorists. those security forces as we speak continue to mop up the situation we are told there at

that complex. there are mines and explosives and booby-trapped, this as the grim toll count mounts. here in the u.k. they are saying five citizens might be dead or certainly are missing. norway also saying five could be dead or missing. japan, ten. we're waiting for those numbers for the u.s.. >> heather: thank you. us a heard him say the state department identifying the american killed releasing a statement saying this, quote, we can confirm the death of frederick botaccio. we express our deepest condolences out of respect for the family's privacy we have no further comment. >> gregg: the presidential inauguration festivities officially kicking off today with a national day of service. president, first lady and vice

president joe biden all participating in service projects in the d.c. area today and calling on all americans to join community events across the country. molly henneberg is live in washington with more. >> molly: there are two parts of this day of service. it's a kickoff to the inauguration weekend and always way to celebrate a couple of days early dr. martin luther king day. president obama and his family went to an elementary school in washington to help with the school makeover project. here you see the president and mrs. obama looking at bookshelf. they talked about the importance of this day. >> this inauguration, we're going to be -- it's a symbol of how our democracy work and how we peacefully transfer power but it should be an affirmation we're all in this together. >> molly: the vice president and

his family participated in the national day of service. they filled care packages for deployed servicemen and women. mr. biden says the troops overseas that we remember them. the area around the washington monument there were opportunities for people that wanted to get involved. they could make cards for foster care children, create a mural, learn how to use recycled materials and more. here is what some of the participants said about the events. >> came all the way from las vegas for the inauguration and a day of service. >> i think it is important because we can take communities back to our community and communities can grow and prosper and pass on all the ideas that we have learned here. >> molly: also participating on the mall, chelsea clinton and delaware attorney general bo

biden. >> gregg: thank you. >> heather: law enforcement is hard at work making sure that monday's inauguration goes off without a hitch. metropolitan police department teaming up with national guard members from all across the country to manage those crowds and all that traffic along the parade route. >> short period, 36 hours, 6,000 national guard will be welcome to d.c. at one of three reception locations. >> i've never been to an inauguration. it's really an honor to have the opportunity to come down. >> to make sure that everybody has a safe and enjoyable time. >> they have been granted temporary arrest powers and help with security if needed. be sure to stick with fox news channel with complete coverage tomorrow. tomorrow we will have the official swearing in for president obama and tune in monday 11:00 a.m. eastern for

inauguration 2013. bret baier and megyn kelly and head over to foxnews.com, get answers to your questions and watch videos streaming online. >> gregg: big changes are coming to security checkpoints at airports. tsa is removing those body scanners, all 174 full body scanners. they are ending the contract with the company that makes them. peter doocy has the latest from washington. >> tsa pulled the maker of those scanning machines that took revealing photos to fix their software so flyers looked more like cartoons this the photos, but that company couldn't do it. it says congressman dated back in june that all scanning machines need the target

recognition or technology that produces the more vague images. tsa by june 1st travelers will only see machines that have atr that allow for faster tlu put, faster lanes for the traveler. they paid them $40 million for their machines and rapid scan has to take them out at their own expense. >> fourth amendment says you can't be searched or seized or person can't be accepted without a warrant. what they are doing is pulling back here is making something that is in line with the fourth amendment and not in violation of people's rights. >> the khair man of the house committee john mica he didn't even know the if the controversial machines worked. >> there is a lot of hard earned tax money going for unfortunately theater security. >> reporter: they are still going to useful body scanners that create generic images but

they point out that travelers can opt out of the body scan with a pat down if they prefer. >> heather: you are really disappointed. >> gregg: it's my only attempt at exhibitionism, little joys in life. all right. >> heather: pricy body scanners that gregg loves is request matter of questionable government spending as president obama prepares for his second term has a lot of work ahead of him to cut wasteful spending and bring the debt under control. a new fox poll finds more than eight out of ten americans believe government spending is out of control. so what can we expect to see in the next four years. let's written bri in jamie whining o weinstein. so eight out of ten americans say we spend too much but up from 2010, 62% from 2009,

regardless people think we spend too much. if you break that apart further, almost all republicans and independents and two-thirds of democrats they all agree, government spending is out of control. we are at the beginning of a second term. where do we go from here. >> clearly i think it's a good sign that american people is recognizing spending is out of control but what do they want to cut? when you get down to the nuts and bombs of that, don't touch medicare or social security, but if you don't touch some of the popular programs you won't be able to cut spending in the long run. the question is, yes, cut spending is good, but what programs are they willing to cut and modify. >> heather: and let's take a closer look at two polls specifically regarding the debt ceiling. this is the question we posed. is reduce the federal deficit a worthy goal?

this is interesting you may recall white house press secretary made news by stating that deficit reduction is, quote not a worthy goal onto itself. 77% of voters disagree with them and that includes large majorities of republicans, independents and democrats. what is your take on this? >> again i don't want to be a downer here, the question is what urgency to do they place on that. we had an election two months ago where there were two candidates, one was more focused on cutting the deficit and reducing our long term debt and one didn't think it was a big concern. the one who didn't think it was a big concern won the election. yes, voters seem to say that is an issue they agree with, but when it came to election day two months ago that certainly wasn't one of the top issues they voted on because they voted for the candidate who wasn't embody go it. >> heather: through his actions, as well. that leads to this, how f or if

it should be raised? should the debt limit be raised again, 23% say yes, but 69% don't agree with the president. they say raise it only after major cuts. there again what cuts would those be but president obama as we know he increased the debt by $6 trillion in his if you are four years. some say that administration overspent by one trillion a year every year since he's been in office. now she demanding the get ceiling to be increased again. do you think he will be listen to the 69% that say only after major cuts? >> he already said he doesn't think anything should be tied to the debt ceiling. it's something you shouldn't play with the full faith and credit of the united states. what is interesting about this, coming out of the republican retreat that just occurred, there are some republicans

within the republican house, republican caucus who actually agree with him on the sense that you don't play with the debt ceiling as the point to which to make cuts. there are other issues coming up like the continuing resolution and sequester cuts where they would like to make their last stand there for cutting getting spending cuts and allow on temporary extension without not much attached to it. >> heather: let's talk about the economy. the president starts his new term. less than 1% rate it as excellent. 9% say it's good shape. that is up a touch from his first inauguration but 91% of voters say economic conditions negatively today. why are we here again? >> you have to wonder. i point you back to november the conditions haven't changed all that much in two months. i would imagine that those exact numbers were the same on election day, and the american

people not only re-elected the president but gave us the same senate in the house as we had before. so as much as they are saying economy isn't going well, when they had an opportunity to change things they voted for more of the same. >> heather: you mentioned congress, finally two polls dealing with that. first since president obama was re-elected, 30% think he has been more bipartisan in working with congressional republicans, 55% the majority says he has been more confrontational? >> i think some of the number for confrontational they are saying that as a positive. certainly democrats want him to be more confrontational before his reelection. some of that is positive element according to the people that saw it that way. i think that is interesting that they see it as confrontational. i'm sure there is a mix of positive and negative.

>> heather: finally, not surprising, voters remain unhappy with the congress overall. 76% disapprove of the job they are doing and the record low approval for congress was 10% by the way back in august of 2011. here is the thing, dissatisfaction with congress is so high that two to one, everyday americans should do a better job in handling the country's problem. jamie, could you do a better job? >> i know it's a difficult job, but here is the thing with that poll number. when you ask americans generally and you have seen this in other polls, is congress doing a bad job and everyday americans could do better. what about my congressman? it's the other guy that is the problem. once again i point you back to november where they had a house election in each district and basically they elected more or less the same house. a lot of people re-elected back so when while they see other

people are doing bad job their own congressman they see as doing pretty good. >> heather: we begin another four years. thank you very much. we appreciate it. >> gregg: coming up, we have a jam packed newscast including advocates for gun rights holding rallies nationwide. we'll tell you about the latest push to protect the second amendment. >> heather: plus new concerns for vital source of income for millions of americans. is the standoff over the debt ceiling threatening social security. >> gregg: lance armstrong showing a sign you rarely see from him. why emotions were running hard in the second part of his interview with oprah winfrey.

>>. >> judith: welcome back. at least 14 people are dead as floodwaters rise in indonesia capital of jakarta. this is desperate operation as the city braces for more monsoon rain. david has more from bangkok, thailand. >> reporter: yes, indonesian capital remains on high alert for more flooding. it has been raining. death toll has been rising.

we have 14 confirmed dead and also there has been some intense rainfall over the past week. it did come to a head back on wednesday. local authorities were forced to release water from the main river into canal because they were afraid it would break its banks. it poured into the city including the presidential palace. despite the move the river flooded the central business district causing chaos there. emergency crews backed up by special forces after working around the clock to try to fix the breach in the canal. teams are also trying to rebuild the dike which breached and allowed the river water to enter the city center. police and military had to use rubber boats to evacuate people from there and also bring supplies to other areas. trains also ground to a halt as railways and stations were inundated. electricity had to be cut off from large parts of the city because of the danger. it's estimated about third of the city of 14 million people

were affected at the height of the flooding. officials say over 15,000 people had to take refuge at emergency evacuation centers. jakarta to s prone to flooding as it sits on low lying land and is close to the sea, but the problem has increased over the past decade as the city has expanded and the infrastructure hasn't kept up with it. also, they are predicting over the next 24 hours perhaps two foot of rain dumping on jakarta. they also say the forecast that more monsoon rains are heading that way. >> heather: thank you very much, david. >> gregg: lance armstrong appearing to get very emotional during the second part of his interview with oprah winfrey in which he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs throughout his cycling career. he broke down when talking about

the impact of the scandal and especially on his 13-year-old son, luke. i told luke, i said... i said don't defend me anymore. >> gregg: about the only time he got emotional through the entire two shows, an hour each. there is a whole lot more. when oprah asked him if he agreed to do the interview because he wanted to get back to compete. >> if you are asking me do i want to compete again? the answer is hell, yes, i'm a

competitor. it's what i have done my whole life. >> gregg: he had drawn criticism for the first part of the interview saying he was not contrite enough. public reaction to these two nights have been absolutely scathing toward him. i wrote down a few of them. you surf the nets and find articles and reaction. self-serving, manipulator trying to dictate the narrative. here is another set, still lying still evasive, protecting people rationalize go and lacking humility. >> heather: i watched the first part. i decided not to watch the second part. >> gregg: because you didn't like it. >> heather: i didn't want to watch. >> gregg: he struck you as a guy that he got caught. >> heather: i kept hearing everyone was doing it. >> gregg: rationalization. >> heather: as an attorney you would advise him do that. >> gregg: he could be charged with criminally with drug trafficking as well as money

laundering and perjury that he never doped. many more chapters to be written on lance armstrong. >> heather: coming up, secretary of state hillary clinton will soon testify before congress on the deadly terror attack in benghazi. it is now four months after the attack and so far no one has been brought to justice. what can we expect her to say about the situation. >> gregg: gun owners across the country are standing up for their second amendment rules taking part in gun appreciation day to protest president obama's plans to control firearms. will the newer rules work? will they have any impact? a fair and balanced debate is coming up. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth.

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>>. >> heather: welcome back. a massive show of support today for rights protected under the second amendment. coming days after president obama set out his proposal for some of the most aggressive gun

control regulations in a generation. advocates are holding rallies across the country what is being called national gun appreciation day. live in virginia with more. >> we have seen the same scene play out over throughout the day. we had a full parking lot and the gun range behind me. you can hear some of the firing in the background. for the most part we heard from gun owners they want to send a message they believe in the sanctity of the second amendment and they believe the white house is targeting the wrong people. >> we have had so much divisiveness from this particular administration. i just think there is whole group of people trying to figure out how can we make this reverse it, turn it around, make it look ugly whether this is fabulous thing. we're supporting the second amendment. >> it would have to be tougher enforcement, stronger evaluation

in order to get, maybe shotgun age pushed up and pistols and handguns are pushed up farther. that may be a good idea. >> reporter: that appreciation day has been a nationwide call whether people have picked up this cause across the country whether at gun shops or gun ranges like this one. one of the organizers told us they had good response and will stand his ground against the critics. >> this is the reaction in to newtown. this to the left reaction. so the idea that they would use an excuse that tragedy to push their legislation is what i find offensive. >> reporter: the other side of the argument is from the critics is that gun appreciation day has really been political deafness

coming up against dr. martin luther king. >> heather: sounds like a busy place. thanks. >> gregg: it has been a big weekend in the gun debated with president obama laying out far reaching proposals all designed to reduce gun violence. will they actually work? americans are deeply skeptical. a scant 22% tougher laws can help. stop shootings like in newtown. 71% say no way, people will find way to commit unspeakable crimes. time for a fair and balanced debate. coalition of stopping the violence. omar, you saw that a huge majority of americans and 71% think tougher laws will not stop tragedies like newtown but they do think just the opposite. more guns in the hands of law

abiding citizens would actually work. take a look at this poll and we'll put it up on the screen. nearly twice as many people think there would be less violent crime if more people owned guns than if guns were banned. is the president going at this the wrong way? >> not at all. the president is going the exact right way. he has comprehensive approach and he is focusing on background checks. we aren't saying we can prevent every single murder in this country. when my sister was killed at virginia tech on april 16th we learned that the gunman passed two background checks. his name was not in the background check database. if it was he would have been prevented from buying those guns. 40% of all guns in held in this country and what the president is proposing is to close that loophole and that is great first step. >> gregg: people like that idea. john, let me go to you -- let me

come to you another fox news poll. found enormous support for what omar is saying, other ways to reduce gun violence, helpings the mentally ill and enforce the existing gun laws, mental health checks. are these measures reasonable. would they make a difference? >> i don't think they would. a lot of the numbers that were just given are simply wrong. 40%.... >> gregg: they are not wrong. it's a polling of sentiment of american people. >> i'm not saying the polls are wrong but the numbers that were given out about background checks were wrong. that 40% of sales don't go through background checks is simply wrong. >> that is not wrong, they do. >> no --. >> gregg: john, finish, go ahead. >> from a survey done in 93 and 94 done by the clinton

administration, if you look at the numbers, almost all that 40% are inherit and within families or gifts within families. if you remove inherit as an and gifts within families it drops it down to near 10%. there are other biases in the survey, too, but it's really a wrong number. >> that is ridiculous. >> gregg: it works better if i ask the questions. >> i would like to respond to that. >> gregg: respond to my questions if you would. most crime infested cities have the most restricted gun laws. i'll give the example, chicago the toughest gun laws in america they have done almost nothing to deter rampant gun violence there. doesn't that ge nate the argument for greater gun control? >> it doesn't negate the argument. a year after i experienced what the private sale or gun show loophole. i bought ten guns at richmond

gun show completely unchecked. we of allowing dangerous individuals to find loopholes and they are finding their way on the second market on dangerous individual. if we want to curb gun violence we need a federal law to make sure that all states are closing the loophole. if you do that i think you'll see a difference in this high crime rate. >> there is a a lot of studies that have been done, brady act on state background check and i don't know of a single study that has found this reduced crime. there is a simple reason for that. almost all the stops that they have, temporary checks that they have involve law abiding citizens, false positives. when the president said there were 1.5 million people who were stopped from buying guns, it was wrong because 99.8% of those are

false positives. let me give you an example. >> gregg: i want to get to one more point. i'll leave that for omar. as you know the president is promoting a ban on assault weapons but the last one lasted ten years and it was studied at grades length. the national research council institute have justice they all studied it and concluded the ban had no impact on gun violence, indeed, when it expired murder and gun violence went down. doesn't that tell us that banning assault weapons will not make us safer and maybe make us less safe? >> first of all, you are failing to talk about the fact that the nra gutted all the most of laws. they dismantled any type of law that we've had. they can changed the law so they could continue during the ban to make assault weapons by making stylistic changes to the guns.

what we need.... >> they said crime would go up. >> no matter what guns, listen, no matter what guns are out there, we have huge loopholes that are allowing dangerous people and you have seen that assault, military assault style weapons are the choice. >> gregg: we have to leave it at that. we are completely out of time. i make you this promise, john and omar, you know the subject matter. this is not a debate going away. we would like to invite you back and we'll do that. >> happy to come back. >> gregg: thanks so much. >> heather: coming up, after a series of delays, secretary of state hillary clinton is set to testify on the deadly terror attack in libya. what can we expect to learn when she goes before congress. >> gregg: looming debt ceiling battle raising concerns that entitlement programs like social security could be in jeopardy. we will take a look at the risk to millions of americans next. in blind taste tests, even ragu users chose prego.

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>>. >> heather: the debt ceiling credited in washington is expected to come to a head in the coming weeks as the u.s. edges closer toward did he faulting on its debt. many fear because of this social security could be on the chopping block and that would leave about 55 million recipients with less money for living expenses, joining us is gary is a fox news contributor. thank you for joining us. we're talking about 55 million social security recipients. is it at risk? >> let me put their fears to rest. not one dime is going to be missed. these politicians love their power and one mistake they would make is one dime come out of those checks. keep in mind, our government takes in $200 billion a month. social security is one-quarter of that. medicare and medicaid is quarter

of that. there is plenty of money coming in regardless of what happened to the debt ceiling. >> many recipients rely on their monthly checks to make ends meet and economy benefits from them spending money. there would be a trickle down effect and the treasury department would only have enough funding to cover 60% of the country's financial obligations. some think something has to give and something has to be done if the government is forced to pick and choose, what would save social security from being targeted? >> first off they would prioritize and the elderly and social security they care about. they would be the first ones that will be taken care of as far as the medicare and medicaid. that is why i'm not worried about that. in the past when it happened in 1996, they took treasury took special steps to ensure things got paid out until things got done. i'm a big believer there is enough fed up americans right

now, and these politicians realize they are getting more fed up something will get them sooner than later, just like the fiscal cliff. >> heather: you mentioned what happened in the mid 1990s, congress gave the treasury authority to issue enough to cover social security payments for the month of march. an estimated $61 billion is due between february 15 and march 15. what about delayed payments or partial payments? >> again, i think that the politicians -- by the way, i hate the politicking of this and the constant making everybody worry. i think it does get done. if it doesn't it may be a few days after that. it would be the worst thing possible to have any person getting social security all of a sudden have to worry about it. the economy is not just about

spending but how they feel about spending and government. if government takes too long to get this done, it will affect the economy that is just trying to get off the back here. i think they will get this done. i'm not as worried as other people are and i'm definitely not worried about social security. >> heather: no worries, be happy. gary, thank you for joining us. >> gregg: you should write a song like that. >> heather: i think i've heard it before. >> gregg: days from now hillary clinton will appear before congress to answer questions about the deadly attack in benghazi, libya. what can we expect to hear from her now is if anything, really. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you don't have to be a golf pro to walk like one. ♪ when you walk 10,000 steps a day,

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>>. >> gregg: in just four days, outgoing secretary of state hillary clinton will testify before congress about the deadly terror attack in benghazi libya in the days after that attack, secretary clinton said we will not rest until we have tracked down and brought to justice those responsible for killing u.s. ambassador christopher stevens and three other americans and that was four months ago and nothing has happened. so what can we expect to hear before she appears before congress? steven yates is former assistant

to dick cheney, good to see you. four months have gone by, nobody has been brought to justice and no retaliatory action has been taken. weekly standard wrote a column on it. jihadists in the region emboldened by lack of response to the attacks 6 taken to taunting the american investigators and celebrating u.s. feebleness. weekly standard goes on to argue that the u.s. is being humiliated. are they right? >> i think they are more right than we care to admit. a lot of time has passed and a lot of questions this important hearing should address. i have relatively low expectations given the state department has foreshadowed the approach to these questions with the independent reported they commissioned that looked at decisions. why the false narrative? why were journalists and others able to pick through a crime scene before the f.b.i. could

debate goat on seen and the administration has little or nothing to say about the rise of islamics and rise of arab spring. >> gregg: one of the leading suspects, when you read the weekly standard piece is sitting in lobby of a luxury hotel sipping a strawberry fratee bragging i don't need to fear the united states. it gets worse than that. the tunisians are holding another main suspect but reportedly our government didn't do nothing to gain access to him and then he was let go. is it your spence sense that president obama and his administration may not care enough to do something about these murders on 9/11? >> my primary concern they have no plan. if they have a plan, they really need to re-look at metrics of how it is working. we have large aid donors who are

more willing to accommodate the terrorists than our demands for justice. we have basically the move of al-qaeda's base from afghanistan to 5,000 miles closer to the united states across northern africa and on europe's doorstep is profoundly important strategic change and the administration has nothing to say about it. that is deeply troubling. >> gregg: what do you expect, if anything, that is meaningful, that is, from hillary clinton or will it be subterfuge. >> she learned the art of the filibuster. there will be some long questions and maybe some long responses. i hope that we get some sense for why did the state department have realtime information that went against what the administration had to say for weeks after this profound event.

why have we run into these difficulties with the investigation? what needs to change in american diplomacy and deliver on her promise on bringing these people to justice. >> gregg: would she be in a position to tell the committee and tell americans what was going on the night of the attack and who turned down the requests for a rescue for aid for some kind of assistance? i mean those people were begging for seven hours for help and it didn't come. do you think she would be able to address that? >> i think she is in a position to know the answer to those questions. there are lawyers on different ends of pennsylvania avenue where executive privilege applies and doesn't apply. were whether the additions zigsz were made in the white house and whether someone in the state department can speak to them. if she wasn't on the scene with answers to these things, why wasn't she?

that was her job and if it wasn't hers, she could point to principal deputy that should be able to answer. >> gregg: i can hear it now, national security interests, executive privilege. steven, we'll have you back to talk about it. >> heather: still to come, new developments in the hostage situation in algeria, freed hostages and still others are unaccounted for. the latest coming up in a live report.

>> gregg: hello, i'm gregg jarrett. welcome to a brand-new hour inside america's news headquarters. >> heather: topping the news this hour, the tsa will pull body scanners from more than 170 airports across the country. the decision coming after numerous complaints into security machines create revealing images of airport travelers. >> gregg: days after president obama proposes sweeping new gun control measures, americans are speaking out about gun control and the second amendment. we'll have the brand-new rasmussen polls just ahead. >> heather: plus, do you think the flu season is nearly over? well, health officials agree with you, gregg. they say this year's deadly outbreak has not reached its peak yet. first, we begin with this. fox news alert and breaking

developments in the hostage crisis in algeria. the government there claiming that its special forces ended the stand-off in a bloody siege of bp's natural gas plant. the details of the operation and the number of people killed still remain unclear. we do know that at least one american is dead and at a news conference today, leon panetta confirmed that there were american hostages held before the siege. greg palkot is live with the very latest from london with this developing story. >> we are getting a little bit more clarity about the operation and the death toll. still there are questions, including the fate of americans. again, over the past couple of days, the algerian special forces moved in on the armed al-qaeda linked militants holding the hostages at that energy facility in algeria. according to government officials just in the past couple of hours, they have

explained that final assault on the militants today. they said that, in fact, there were dead on both sides, both on the militants and the hostages. and the latest provisional death toll for the entire four-day siege, 32 militants dead, as well as 23 hostages and that includes foreign hostages. as for the americans, state department, we were talking to them a short while ago, they are still not coming up with numbers, except for the acknowledgment of the one american who died of a heart attack during this siege. we have been reporting that we believe that five americans had escaped and were free. we also had been saying, however, that two americans were still being held by the militants. reuters news agency today saying that they felt that two americans were freed today. but we have not gotten that confirmed. here is a little bit more of what secretary of defense leon

panetta had to say in london today. >> we cannot accept attacks against our citizens in our interests abroad. neither can we accept an al-qaeda safe haven anywhere in the world. >> panetta refused to criticize the algerian security forces. some have said they were too heavy handed in their mission against the militants holding the hostages. at this very melt we're told they continue to mop up that energy facility. it had been booby trapped with mines and explosives by the militants and heather, yes, the grim death toll grows, or the fear of those deaths, anyway. the u.k., norway, and japan are now saying that 20 of their citizens are unaccounted for and

feared dead. and we're waiting on word from the u.s. officials. back to you. >> heather: greg palkot live for us. we'll have much more on this coming up with a former c.i.a. operative who has participated in numerous operations in algeria. so stay tuned for that. gregg? >> gregg: and the first lady kicking off the inaugural weekend with a national day of service, doing their part at an elementary school in washington as thousands of folks are joining the first family, taking part in volunteer projects across the country. molly henneberg is following this live in washington. what did the president do for national day of service? >> hi. you spoke a little bit about it. he and the first lady and their two daughters went to an elementary school in washington and joined hundreds of volunteers there in a school makeover project. the president and first lady helped out by staining a book shelf. the president praised those with try to help out their communities. >> there is a huge hunger on the part of young people to get

involved and to get engaged and it was interesting, we were talking to one of the young people, i was staining a shelf and i did -- michelle says i did a fine job. >> vice president joe biden also took part in the national day of service. he and his family went to the dc armory and stuffed care packages for deployed soldiers. gregg? >> gregg: there was a large scale service effort on the national mall, i believe. what was that all about? >> a big tented event on the mall. numerous organizations set up booths allowing people to get involved in service projects right there. including projects to fill backpacks with books for children in need and to create a mural for a dc area school and many more. there was some star power in attendance, too, including a former first daughter, and a hollywood actress. >> renewing america's promise. we're going to give back to our

schools and students and we're going to search our community. and i am deeply grateful to the inspiring example of my grandmother and my parents and i am so grateful to see so much enthusiasm in this room today. >> also speaking today, delaware attorney general and son of the vice president, beau biden. >> gregg: thanks very much. by the way, be sure to stick with fox news channel for a complete inaugural coverage. tomorrow we'll have the official swearing in for president obama and tune in monday at 11:00 a.m. eastern for inauguration 2013 anchored by brett brett and megyn kelly. >> heather: nationwide show of support for the second amendment. gun rights advocates are rallying all across the country for what's being called gun appreciation day. demonstrating their support for gun ownership while sending a strong message to washington, just two days before president

obama's second inauguration. catherine herridge is joining us live from a gun store in virginia. what are you hearing from gun owners? >> thank you and good afternoon. this is the first time all day that we've had somest and quiet and we've seen parking spaces in the parking lot here at the gun range. it's really been a capacity crowd today and what we've heard for the most part is that people came out to say they really support what they say is the sanctity of the second amendment and others say they would support change to the legislation to raise the age for gun ownership, while others believe the obama administration is targeting the wrong people. >> i don't think it addressed anything close to what the real problem is. trying to outlaw certain guns because they're black guns and hold large rounds of ammunition isn't going to do anything to stop those monsters. >> critics say gun appreciation day has shown a certain amount

of tone deafness or insensitivity coming so close to martin luther king day, and of course, coming in the shadow of the newtown shootings. >> heather: i watched your reports throughout the day. you've been out there since early this morning. every single hit, it sounded busy. what too we know about gun sales? >> what we have on gun sales is really very anecdotal. what was strike not guilty reporting here is that they say that in the last two to four weeks, they have been selling out of everything. so high caliber, small caliber, and then also hunting weapons as well. so it's been virtually everything. they also said they've had a lot of first-time gun owners. while people won't say it was specifically proposals to restrict gun ownership that had driven these sales, it seemed pretty clear people had a high degree of motivation. we also spoke today with one of the organizers for gun appreciation day and he said that he would stand his ground against the critics.

>> this is a reaction to the left reaction to newtown. so the idea that they would use and exploit that tragedy to push their legislation is what i find owe financessive. >> -- did she offensive. >> one of the most striking conversations was a gun owner who said let's put the second amendment and gun rights aside. his objection was as he described it, tinkering with basic american rights and constitutional rights in this country. heather. >> heather: catherine herridge live from warrenton, virginia for us. thank you very much. >> gregg: as the debate over gun control intensifies, the president of the national rifle association is saying that he is actually received hundreds of death threats. he says he has always been a high profile target for folks who want tougher gun control laws in the country, but the threats had increased in the weeks since the mass shootings at sandy hook elementary school in connecticut. during an interview this week on

a radio talk show, he says even his kids are receiving threats. >> i've gotten dozens, hundreds of death threats. my son who has the same name as i do, had somebody post a death threat on his facebook page and when he and my daughter came back, i don't know how do you all this 'cause i'm not a computer geek, came back and said, actually this isn't him, but he is our dad and we think he's a pretty good dad. they came back and said, now that we know you're their children, we wish you'd be killed because then he'd feel bad. >> gregg: keane blames the threats on the president's quote, attempt to demonize those who disagree with them for everything he doesn't like. >> heather: gregg, the new york newspaper that posted the names and addresses of law-abiding gun permit holders on its web site now apparently backing down. the journal news outraged gun owners publishing the interactive map showing exactly

where their homes were located. authorities say that some of those houses ended up getting burglarized. the journal took down the map three days after new york's governor andrew cuomo, passed stricter gun control laws, including privacy measures for legal gun owners. >> gregg: big money changing hands right now in the state of as arizona some of the world's most expensive cars hit the auction block. hundreds of thousands of people are there for the bidding. organizers say there is a big number of jump in the number of course up for grabs and it could be a sign that an economic rebound is just around the corner. dominic has more from scottsdale. hi. >> hi there. we're in the middle of furious bidding. pictures you're looking at courtesy of our colleagues at speed tv owned by the parent company of this network. a corvette. 125,000. that's a high price for this

car. we are seeing record bids coming in which is indicative really of what is happening in the car market. people here are the organizers, particularly saying the amount of bids we're getting, the car price, the amount of money people are prepared to put down, $1 billion on the lot of guaranteed credit lines have been approved, is being viewed and is indicative of not just a bounce back in car sales burks wider economy. this is what one of the organizers said is how it's all coming about, gregg. >> we tend to go down before the slow down, before the economy slows down. we tend to pick up before the economy picks up, 'cause most of my customers are business owners. they've got their finger on the pulse. they know when to pull back and they know when they think there is a good clear runway ahead of them o start spending again. >> some of those business owners expect up to 11% pour year on -- per year on the cars they bag here. that outperforms wall street.

some of the cars on sale are actually iconic models. the green hornet, from back in 1968. about 3 to $5 million that model alone. we've got the pierre arrow. probable lea going to 1 to $2 million when it's auctioned off later tonight much and we've got the f-150, ford truck that was owned by former president george w. bush. he used it on his ranch. that will go for about a million. sales so for, 47 million. enough for the main auction where they're expecting really, really iconic cars to be sold off. it could total $100 million in sales in this auction alone, which is why it makes it the world's biggest. a lot of these cars will be sold and the proceeds will be donated to charity. they're hoping they can hit the $50 million mark for that. it's an incredible event. back to you. >> gregg: there are some real beauties you were showing us. take lots of pictures and send them to us. dominic, thanks very much.

>> heather: i'm so jealous. take a picture, bid on one and bring it back. >> gregg: i've been to a car show here in new york city, they are so much fun. there are so many things that you wish you had lots of money to buy them. >> heather: i'd take the '67 red corvette. >> gregg: it was a beauty. >> heather: many people dread when they pass through those airport security scanners. gregg actually prefers them. he likes to just stand there for a little bit longer. they can create revealing images of every person who has to pass through them. now the tsa making a major announcement about them. >> gregg: you know, to become president, a candidate must win 270 electoral votes. now some state republicans want to switch up just how certain states divide up the electoral college votes and reaction from democrats is fierce. a fair and balanced debate coming up. >> heather: plus, does this toy water gun look threatening to you? hello, kitty, gregg?

>> gregg: i love it. >> heather: it trial got a five-year-old in big trouble. i'll tell you why. >> gregg: seriously? >> i know that they're trying to, i guess, ban down on stuff like that at school, but obviously i don't think bubbles would hurt any child. just get them wet i gave birth to my daughter on may 18th, five days later, i had a massive heart attack. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story.

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>> gregg: welcome back. time for a quick check of the headlines. new plan in congress could avert the latest debt ceiling crisis, at least for now. house republicans expect a vote twoness raise the government spending limit for another three months in hopes of giving lawmakers time to pass a federal budget. >> heather: a priest who suffered severe injuries in last summer's shooting rampage in a milwaukee temple is showing new signs of awareness. he's been largely unresponsive since the attack that claimed the lives of six others. >> gregg: baseball hall of famer earl weaver has died. he managed the baltimore orioles for 17 seasons. the cause of death has not as yet been determined. he was 82 years old. >> heather: those controversial full body scanners at the nation's airports are going away. the tsa removing the x-ray

machines after coming under intense pressure by airline passengers who complained that their privacy is being violated. peter doocy reports from washington. >> the tsa told the maker of the scanning machines that took very revealing photos of air travelers to fix their software so flyers looked more like cartoons in those photos instead of naked adults. but that company couldn't do it. and since congressmandated back in june that all scanning machines need the automated target recognition or atr technology that produces the more vague images, the tsa now says by june 1, 2013, travel also only see machines which have atr that allow for faster through put. this means faster lanes for the traveler and enhanced security. the tsa paid the company $40 million for their machines and now they have to take them all out at their own expense. >> the fourth amendment requires you can not be searched or

seized. your person cannot be searched without a warrant. obviously the scanner is not a warrant. so what they're doing in pulling back is making something that isn't in line with the fourth amendment and not in violation of people's rights. >> back in march, the then chairman of the house transportation committee, republican congressman john micah, said he didn't even know if the controversial machine worked. >> there is a lot of hard earned taxpayer money going for, unfortunately, theater security. >> the t.d. a is still going to use full body scanners that create generic images of bodies, but the tsa points out that travelers are always opt out of a body scan if they prefer a pat-down. heather? >> heather: peter doocy reporting from washington. thanks. >> gregg: changing the way the president wins the white house. some republicans state lawmakers pitching a plan to change the rules for how the electoral college votes in certain blue states are allocated. the focus move is outraging

democrat, including the head of michigan's democratic party who calls it, quote, election rigging. let's bring in former republican congressman of ohio and former democratic congressman of pen opinion, joe sestak. gentlemen, both of your respective states, blue states, have republican controlling both houses. so they could make the change and congressman sestak, i looked it up, it does leave it up to the state legislatures to determine the calculation. so why not? >> absolutely. we have to respect that the states can do what they decide to do within their own borders. that said, before they take a step like this, for whatever reason, i think they have oarlock at the whole of the united states. so for example, if one or two states does change it, let's say texas, which has a large electoral votes, now it's gog distribute its votes on how much each candidates get. but right next door nearby is california with 12% of american and they don't change, all of a

sudden texas' citizens, has the votes change second. what is of great concern is if you have a third party. all of a sudden, if all of the nay states change, you might have 15 rural states where it puts a little money into media, this third party. it gets 20% of the vote in those states. that means it might have six electoral votes and if there is a tie overall t can then bargain like a parliamentary system. bottom line is, we have bad enough jerry mannedderring. if we start messing around with the national, we'll have a bigger problem. >> gregg: what's interesting is i looked at the latest gallup poll that came out a short time ago, a huge majority of americans want to change the electoral college system. 63% versus a scant 29% who want to keep it. what's interesting is more democrats want to change the electoral college, get rid of it. is that because a lot of people

feel as though it's outdated. it has outlived its original purpose and it is at base, inherently undemocratic to give the big swing states all this disproportionate influence? >> let me say when the president takes the oath of office tomorrow for the 57th time in our history, making america the continuing record for the longest, oldest government on the planet, i don't think you can overemphasize the significance of that being the electoral college. when our founders put in in order to be president, every president has to carry at least half of the country. and that changes everything. they're going to go for the sixth government in the last 15 years on tuesday in israel. when there was a special election in california a few years ago, 135 people applied because the parties were not involved in that special election. under our system, the electoral college means that whoever takes that oath of office, has carried half of the country and i believe that that is the major

ingredient that is what has made our system so successful all of these years. as mentioned, you can change how they're distributed, nebraska and maine say according to whatever congressional district you're carrying. but the electoral college, in my mind, is the single most important part of our national election process. >> gregg: congressman sestak, when you go back and read the federalist papers, the framers talked about their deep concern there was a disadvantage to the smaller, especially the rural states because communications back then were so primitive and transportation was very, very difficult and they felt as though, wait a minute. the candidates can't get their message out. they can't go to some of these rural areas and so let's devise this system to make it more equal. that's not the case anymore, is it? >> well, actually ronald reagan spoke very well about this exact point. he said those who want to do away with the electoral system will disenfranchise our midwestern or rural states.

he said that because we are a republic where states' rights and their representation is important and he didn't want the tyranny of the majority. what he wanted to make sure that those states that 15 rural ones could at least get their electoral vote heard because they had, like even though they're rural, at least a decent amount of electoral votes. it's very important -- >> gregg: they can still be heard, if you just do it on a proportionality, like maine and nebraska. right? >> yes, but maine and nebraska, as you know, only have two and three congressional districts. and only one has any not won everything there. when you begin to get into states like texas or pen, then you're beginning as an individual state to jerry mannedder what the outcome can be. then four years from now as democrats control that, then they change it back to the old way and you've lost so much trust in politicians already, you lose trust in the sanctity of the politics. >> gregg: what's wrong with direct popular vote?

al gore is an advocate of it. of course, there have been four presidents who have been elected who didn't win the popular vote. george w. bush beat al gore in one of those. >> as you know, regardless of if you're a popular former president like teddy roosevelt or eccentric billionaire, you can not become president unless you carry half of the country because of the electoral college. if you do away with that, let any popular mayer or movie star or baseball successful player, if you let all of those people run for president, you would have a presidential ballot that looked like the manhattan phone book. it's only because of the electoral college that we have a two-party system and if we do away with that or amend it, then our country will take spin that we have never had in our history. >> gregg: joe cess stack, bob, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> heather: coming up, new warnings from the cdc concerning

the flu. how much longer can we expect the u.s. outbreak to last?

>> gregg: it is the bottom of the hour. time for the top of the news. the cdc is warning the flu outbreak in the united states may last six more weeks. nine more children have died in the past week alone due to the flu-related illness, bringing the total number of pediatric deaths to 29. >> heather: the woman charged with pushing a man to his death in front of a new york city subway says that she was having a bad day. she says she targeted the indian immigrant because he was hindu. >> gregg: we are awaiting the autopsy results of a poisoned lottery winner from chicago. his body was exhumed yesterday. police want to know exactly how he was poisoned with cyanide.

he died in july after winning the lottery. his death was initially ruled a result of natural causes. >> heather: we are following breaking developments out of algeria where we are awaiting new information on the hostage stand-off at a bp natural gas plant in the sahara desert. at least one american is dead and other americans were among the international group of employees taken hostage. all of this started wednesday morning. that's when militants stormed the plant. the attackers initially claiming that it was revenge for france's operation targeting a dangerous wing of al-qaeda in nearby mali that. is where it is fighting to establish a new home base. so what does all of this, what is the group's presence in the region and now this deadly attack against foreigners mean for the u.s. and the international community? joining me now on the phone, former c.i.a. operative, mike baker. thank you for joining us, mike. >> thanks very much. >> heather: algeria just to bring all of our viewers up to

speed, is the birth place of al-qaeda's affiliate in north africa. also known as al-qaeda in the islam okay magreb, or kqim. >> right. >> heather: most of the group leaders and their allies, they are algerian, including the suspected ring leader. this hostage plot, i really want to ask you about him. he's one-eyed desert bandit, he's also known as mr. marlboro and the uncatchable. you yourself have been involved in numerous operations in algeria going back as far as the 1990s. what do you know about the group claiming responsibility first for this attack and taking over the gas facility? >> everything is connected out there. so nothing happens in a bubble. this isn't something that backed up. the fellow you mentioned, he's been around ever since he was a teen-ager in the soviet occupied afghanistan. he's had a stent of jihad there and drifted to various jihads

around the region, including going back into algeria in the '90s when it was extremely ugly, violent and ruthless war that was waged between the algerian military and muslim extremists, primarily the islam okay arms group. so he's been around. the point is not just himself, but his lieutenants and a variety of other fighters -- that you can trace them back, a lot of them back to the soviet occupied. or consulate. they move from algeria, then to iraq, then back to afghanistan again, then they're in yemen, then in somalia, in libya when gadhafi is overthrown. all those weapons taken out of the armory. then they make their way back in algeria and into mali and own the northern half of mali. >> heather: mike, first of all, we should say it's unclear whether he was working with

al-qaeda and islam okay magreb, but what do we though about them specifically beyond what you just said? they sound like they're disbanded, they move around a lot. what threat do they pose to the u.s.? >> a major threat because some of this talk now, pundits are saying, he had a falling out with aqim and started his own group called witnesses and blood and has a couple other names. then he's been out there trying to establish himself. but he's been a major leader in the sahara area for some time of the but whether it's aqim or another extremist group, they're all basically like minded and share a certain agenda. and so we need to be very focused on this and we haven't been because in part, we've been wringing our hands for years now over how to establish a stable society in afghanistan, thinking that that was our only dog in the hunt, that somehow al-qaeda

and the extremist movement was some sort of enterprise that if we can create a stable site in afghanistan, then we have our problem solved. but that problem moved into the north africa region years ago. i'm afraid our foreign policy has not kept up. >> heather: and that's what i want to ask you about, the foreign policy. for months, u.s. officials, we have intensively lobbied algeria, whose military is by far the strongest in north africa, i think you would agree. we've lobbied them to intervene in next door mali where the rebels have established this well defended base of operations. why, in your opinion, have they not acted and why did they shun outside help in dealing with this latest hostage crisis? >> because they don't view it in their personal interest. the algerian government and military, they are very efficient. the military is very efficient. they're not subtle, as we've seen from the attack on the facility. we shouldn't be surprised at their aggressive reaction to this. they've been fighting extremist

concerns for decade. but i think what it points out is again, we don't have much leverage there. you're right, we have been lobbying algeria hard to take a lead role in trying to recapture northern mali, but they don't view it that way. they look at their own insurgency in the '90s when hundreds of thousands of laws, i was out there during that i'm and they said, hey, where was the rest of the world? we didn't get any support back then. so i think they're doing what most countries do and what sometimes we apologize for doing ourselves, which is act not guilty what they perceive is their best interest. >> heather: all right. mike, thank you so much tore your insight. we appreciate. you've been there and dealt with this. you know what you're talking about. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> gregg: prosecutors resting their case against the woman accused of murdering her boyfriend, laying out shocking new details about that grisly killing. judge jeanine pirro is here to look at her defense team's latest move. >> heather: a pen opinion girl

suspended from kindergarten for threatening to shoot a friend with this pink water gun. why her school says it made the right move. the school thinks they did and why parents say they disagree. >> gregg: i love hello kitty. don't you power down your little word game. i think your friends will understand. oh no, it's actually my geico app...see? ...i just uh paid my bill. did you really? from the plane? yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24/7. sounds a little too good to be true sir. i'll believe that when pigs fly. ok, did she seriously just say that? geico. just click away with our free mobile app.

>> heather: welcome back. a five-year-old pennsylvania girl is suspended from kindergarten after she told a classmate that she was going to shoot her with a toy gun. but take a look at this. this is the toy. it is the hello kitty pink water pistol that shoots bubbles. a school official overheard the remark, searched the little girl's backpack, but did not find the hello kitty gun. the school suspended the child for ten days for making a, quote, terroristic threat. later reduced the punishment to two days. the family has hired a lawyer and is fighting the suspension. gregg? >> gregg: can i just say that's

really stupid? terrorist threat? come on. blowing bubbles. arizona prosecutors have rested their case in a murder trial that has gripped the nation. jody arias is charged with brutally stabbing her ex-boyfriend in 2008. prosecutors say arias also shot him in the head, then took pictures as she dragged his dead body across the floor. now the defense wants the case dismissed. judge jeanine pirro, the host of "justice" with judge jeanine. you've entertained motions to dismiss ad nasa yum in your career. it's malpractice for a defense attorney not to make the motion when the prosecution rests. but it's not going to happen. >> i don't think it's going to happen here. what's interesting about this, gregg, i any thank the jurors asked the question of the judge, and i think it had to do with the fact that they wanted to know if the friends of travis alexander, the victim in this case, had an alibi. for them to ask that question so

late in the game makes you say, is this another casey anthony? the friends of his, did they have an alibi the night he was killed? it's almost as though they're saying, maybe there might be someone else. >> gregg: they're instructed by you as a judge to keep an open mind. >> and i would instruct them o keep an open mind. but i think to answer your question, it is pro forma, do you it as a matter of course. they haven't proven their case. >> gregg: let's cut to the chase here. when you shoot somebody in the face, stab them 27 times and split their -- slit their throat ear to ear, one can argue this is a crime of deep passion. the question is, is the crime excused under the law of self-defense? >> well, you have to look at the facts and what we have here is a defendant who seems to be diabolical. she says, number one, that she doesn't know anything about it. then she says, well, there were

two people who threatened her in a mafia style that they would kill her family, but she got away. then she says years later, i did kill him, but it was self-defense, only because there are pictures, by the way, of them having sex minutes before he was killed. and you've got her dragging her leg, her pants dragging him across the floor. >> gregg: here is the thing, you always hear defense attorneys say you know why my client mutilated the body? because she had been abused physically for so long, over so much time that she had all this built up trust separation anger and ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it's proof of self-defense. >> here is a clue for everybody out there who thinks that her case may be self-defense. number one, she was stalking him. she hacked into his facebook. she slashed his tires. she was extremely jealous. she heard that he was going to one of the islands with another girl. she was a jealous, possesssive woman.

ergo, why does she need to defend herself. by the way, who shoots and stabs and then cuts someone almost -- someone who is involved. >> gregg: or somebody who has been abused for years and years. that will be tough to prove. look, she can't take the witness stand, can she? >> sure, she's a liar. >> gregg: she is a liar and the prosecutor will have her for lunch on cross-examination. >> this is the kind of defendant i would love to get on the stand if i were trying the case. but what you have here is a woman who says there is no way any jury is going to convict me. she is so confident her position, maybe she'll believe that, continue to believe it, take the stand, and then, of course, a prosecution will make mince meat out of her. the only issue i have is number one, did the state prove that it wasn't self-defense, which is their burden. and number two, if she's convicted r they going to give her the death penalty? >> standard jury direction, if you find they lie in one part, you can conclude they lied about everything. >> that's right. >> gregg: she's in trouble. judge, good to see you. >> good to see you.

>> gregg: you can catch "justice" with judge jeanine at 9:00 p.m. eastern time right here on the fox news channel. check it out. heather? >> heather: still ahead, brand-new developments on the hostage crisis unfolding in algeria. the latest on the four-day old stand-off with islamist extremists and a crucial role involving the u.s. in the siege. >> gregg: and president obama is preparing to take his second oath of office. will you be watching the inauguration? what the polls are telling us that americans will be doing on monday. >> the constitution of the united states. >> preserve what are you doing? nothing. are you stealing our daughter's school supplies and taking them to work? no, i was just looking for my stapler and my... this thing. i save money by using fedex ground and buy my own supplies. that's a great idea. i'm going to go... we got clients in today.

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>> gregg: get out your party hats, it's party time in the nation's capitol. almost. as president obama prepares for his second inauguration. but people across the country can catch the excitement watching the big moment lit right here on the fox news channel. >> heather: according to some new polls, by rasmussen reports, just 58% of americans plan to watch all, most or some of the inauguration. and that's down from 75% when president obama first took office back in 2008. >> gregg: scott rasmussen is an independent pollster and the president of rasmussen reports.com. good to see you. so do you have a sense as to why there is a fairly significant

dropoff? >> sure. look, when i got married, we had lots and lots of people at a big party. our fourth anniversary, my wife and i went out to dinner. second time around, you dewpoint have as big a crowd. >> gregg: i hope it was a really expensive dinner. >> it was. >> gregg: for your sake. >> by the way, it was a big deal for our 25th anniversary. so i want to clarify that. >> gregg: atta boy. >> the point is, it's a everybody different environment, both parties are a little more subdued. republicans are panicky after two bad elections in a roam democrats don't have quite the same enthusiasm. but they're happy to be in their position. much better shape than republicans. >> heather: scott, you mentioned your marriage. four years in, you're still kind of a newly wed. you're still supposed to be excited about what is to come. how do the american people about this? we're headed into the second term for the president. are people optimistic? >> well, they're a little more optimistic than they were four

years ago. when the president first took office, 27% said the country was heading in the right direction. now it's up to 36%. on the day he was sworn in, four years ago, 35% said their finances were in good shape. it's up to 39% today. so progress, but people aren't really excited yet. there is still a lot of concerns to be dealt with. >> gregg: let's talk about the second amendment. you conducted a poll on that. what did you find? >> 65% of american voters, out of american adults, two out of three, say the reason we have a second amendment is so the people can protect themselves against tyranny. this is something you don't hear a lot about in debate. they talk about hunters or recreational use. the second amendment was there for a reason, coming out of the revolution, and most recognize that view. >> heather: earlier, gregg had a heated debate talking about gun ownership and stricter gun ownership rules and laws. how do people feel about that? >> there are some mixed

feelings, from modest reforms like districter background checks, 86% say absolutely. even to have a three-day waiting period, three out of four say it's a good thing to do. but a majority say it's more important to enforce the laws we have than to create some new ones. i think what you're going to find is there will be some support for limited new measures. but in a nation where six out of ten say they'd rather live in a place where they can defend themselves rather than a gun free zone, you're not going to see much of a change. >> gregg: if you listen to the media these days, you would get the clear impression that the nra is as unpopular as cockroaches and colonoscopy, but that's not true, is it? >> no. 49% of americans do have a favorable opinion of the nra. it's down five points from middle of 2011. so they've suffered a little bit of a loss of prestige here. on any question involving the nra, or guns in general, there

are big differences between suburban, rural and urban areas. and people in cities have a real hard time grasping how deep the roots are for the nra and for really gun ownership as part of the ordinary life in rural america. >> gregg: surely enough. scott rasmussen, thanks for the polling data. always interesting. have a great day. >> heather: cockroaches and colonoscopies. >> gregg: on that happy note, that's going to do it for us. rick and arthel take over top of the hour. >> heather: we'll see you back here tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. eastern. be sure to join us. >> gregg: bye-bye. have a great day. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you don't have to be a golf pro to walk like one.

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